Location
Kettering, GB
Department Name
Kettering Depot
About Network Rail
🌟 Join Our Team at Network Rail! 🌟
This is an exciting time to join Network Rail as we celebrate 200 Years of Passenger Rail: Innovating for the Future. It is not just a celebration, though - it's a commitment to continue delivering a simpler, better, greener railway. Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system.
Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7, 365 days a year. From the first passenger railway in 1825 to today's AI-driven predictive maintenance, the rail industry has continuously evolved. Now, as we enter Network Rail's Control Period 7 (CP7), the focus is on modernisation, sustainability, and operational efficiency.
We're passionate about great service and commit to our service equation vision by “Putting Passengers First”. Performance, safety and getting the fundamental basics right is something we strive for, as well as asking ourselves - what can we do to put our passengers and freight users at the centre of everything we do?
Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. Click here to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us!
We're committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To discover more about our ED&I commitments click here. We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we'll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process. You can visit Evenbreaks Career Hive for advice on accessibility support.
As a Network Rail employee, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits!
* 28 days annual leave – with the opportunity to buy and/or sell up to 5 days
* Access to a range of contributory pension schemes and the potential to top up your competitive salary with a bonus
* A subsidy of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets if you travel to work on the train
* Privileged staff travel – Leisure travel discount of 75%
* We can offer you a season ticket loan; annual season tickets are discounted.
* A 35-hour-per-week contract with flexible working options available to help support your work-life balance
* Hybrid working and enhanced family-friendly support
* Take advantage of childcare vouchers, healthcare offers (including discounted healthcare club membership), discounted cycle hire, and online shopping sites
* 5 days of paid volunteering leave
* 2 weeks paid reserve leave for the Armed Forces community
Discover more at www.networkrailcareers.com/benefits
Brief Description
What will you be doing?
This is your chance to take charge of a critical part of the railway, where every decision you make keeps journeys safe, reliable, and on track.
* Lead a powerhouse team: Inspire and develop a large maintenance crew, driving performance at every level.
* Be the safety champion: Set the standard for inspections, maintenance, and renewals that protect millions of passengers.
* Deliver results that matter: Balance budgets, resources, and efficiency while hitting ambitious safety, quality, and performance targets.
* Shape tomorrow’s railway: Direct infrastructure projects that keep the network moving and evolving.
This isn’t just a management role - it’s a chance to leave your mark on one of the nation’s most vital systems.
About The Role (External)
In this key role, you will be accountable for managing a section of the rail network. Leading a large maintenance team, you will enjoy significant responsibilities. Managing in-house teams and contractors alike, you'll make a vital contribution to the success of our ambitious plans. From signalling to track and electrification, you'll proactively direct the work of teams delivering inspections, renewals and maintenance of diverse infrastructure assets. You'll be personally responsible for planning, inspecting and implementing important tactical works. This is role is operational and there will be an element of on call and out of hours contact needed.
Championing safety as a top priority, you'll have the authority to recommend any necessary renewals. Managing budgets and driving engagement and development across the team, you'll see that work is consistently delivered to performance, cost and quality targets.
Due to the importance of your role, we'll expect you to respond to issues that arise, even when off duty.
Essential Criteria
* Experience of managing the production and delivery of a comprehensive and compliant work programme
* Able to demonstrate, promote and embed safe working behaviours within the team
* Able to coach, influence and develop others
* Knowledge of discipline-specific maintenance, inspection, faulting and renewal techniques
* Able to lead and implement change and improvement initiatives
* Excellent communication and influencing skills, both in person and in writing
* Comfortable working shifts including days, nights and weekends
Desirable Criteria
* Hold or be working towards an NVQ level 3 or 4 (or equivalent) in a relevant subject or have attained an appropriate level of knowledge through equivalent relevant experience
* Able to promote and demonstrate safe working behaviours
* Knowledge of budget management and cost/waste control processes and techniques
* Able and willing to drive vehicles as required by business need
This role involves days, nights and weekend working, and is a safety critical role so subject to drug and alcohol testing and passing of the relevant medical assessment.
How To Apply (External)
Salary: IMC40 T&Cs - salary starting at ÂŁ47,730
Closing date: 23rd December 2025 - Late applications may not be accepted.
Click apply now to apply.
What does our recruitment process look like?
* Once you have applied, our Recruitment Specialist will look at your CV.
* If your experience matches what we're looking for, you'll be invited to an interview.
You can visit Evenbreaks Career Hive for advice on accessibility support if you're unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.
Network Rail Benefits - To find out about what benefits we offer, click here
All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. Click here for more information
* Some of our roles require face to face Drugs & Alcohol testing. Further details will be shared with you as part of your formal offer.****